from ALLOYCE KIMBUNGA in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania
Tanzania Bureau
DAR-ES-SALAAM, (CAJ News) – AFRICAN leaders and stakeholders have met in Tanzania to commit to a pledge of expanding energy access to 300 million Africans by 2030.
This would eventually accelerate economic growth, job creation and regional integration.
They met under the aegis of the Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit, which ran until Tuesday (yesterday).
Mission 300 is a collaboration between the African Development Bank, the World Bank Group, and global partners to address Africa’s electricity access gap using new technology and innovative financing.
Nearly 600 million Africans lack electricity, which is crucial for development and job creation, according to the World Bank.
“This summit marks a historic moment in our collective efforts to accelerate energy access across Africa, and to take bold actions to power our continents’ future,” said Tanzanian host president, Samia Suluhu Hassan.
The meeting is expected to adopt the Dar es Salaam Declaration, which shows the joint commitment of African leaders to ensure that access to energy is reliable, affordable, and sustainable for the development of the continent.
Speaking at the summit, President of Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema, said energy was a critical component to growing local economies and as leaders, they had committed to finding initiatives that they would use to accelerate the agenda of clean and sustainable renewable energy.
“This calls for more investment in the energy sector. Africa must look within, before seeking solutions outside the continent,” he said.
– CAJ News